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WEEKLY NEWS SUMMARY - JULY 24, 2024
In this week's Intersect, read about:
Harris Says She’s the Democrats’ Presumptive Nominee for President
“Vice President Kamala Harris in a statement early Tuesday claimed to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president after a flurry of endorsements from DNC delegates. A candidate needs at least 1,976 delegate votes to receive the party’s nomination. WORLD obtained statements confirming that delegates from 36 states will back Harris at the Democratic National Convention, giving her over 2,400 delegate votes to support her nomination.” read more at WORLD
THINK.
- Now that Biden has announced he will not accept the nomination, all his delegates are free to vote for whoever they want, and it appears that more than enough will vote for Vice President Harris. The presumptive Democratic nominee will be someone who has not received a single vote in the primaries or caucuses. The last time this happened was in 1968, when Hubert Humphrey won the Democratic nomination despite not even running in a primary.
- This is a historic and fairly chaotic moment. However, while the presumptive nominee has changed, the values that will be championed have not. If anything, those values will be even more progressive. Harris was reportedly the first vice president to tour an abortion clinic while in office, and in her 2020 presidential campaign proposed a law that would force states to get approval from the Department of Justice before enacting any pro-life laws.
- In the midst of this historic election year – which will be over in little more than 100 days – it’s vitally important that we as the Body of Christ take seriously our duty to think, pray, and vote according to biblical values. God has sovereignly placed each of us in this moment and given us the opportunity to lessen evil at the local, state, and national level. Will you take the opportunity?
PRAY.
Heavenly Father, let our nation and Your Church look to You during these uncertain times. We know that You work all things according to the counsel of Your will, so help us trust in You and give You glory as we do Your will. (Eph. 1:11) In Jesus’ name, Amen.
ACT.
Have you taken our pledge to vote? It’s more than a commitment to vote; it’s a decision to be an informed and prayerful voter. You can sign it here, and challenge your friends to make the commitment as well!
Elon Musk Says SpaceX and X Headquarters Moving to Texas, Blames New California Transgender Law
“SpaceX CEO and X owner Elon Musk said Tuesday he will move the headquarters of both companies from California to Texas. Musk vowed the moves in response to Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) signing a new law on Tuesday that bars school districts in California from requiring parents to be notified of a child’s gender identification change.” read more at NBC News
THINK.
- Gender ideology has personally impacted Musk, who said that a few years ago he allowed one of his sons to undergo puberty blockers without being told about the risk of sterilization. His son now identifies as a woman, and Musk lamented, ”I lost my son, essentially.”
- More than a dozen school boards in California considered or passed policies requiring that parents be informed of their child’s desire to change genders. But this law, the first of its kind in the country, stops those policies. A recent poll conducted by the Manhattan Institute shows that 60% of likely voters across the partisan spectrum believe that schools should be required to inform parents if children are using different gender pronouns at school than they are at home. Several states have laws requiring parents to be notified.
- "Moms and dads have both a constitutional and divine mandate to guide and protect their kids, and AB 1955 egregiously violates this sacred trust,” said Jonathan Keller of the California Family Council. Several parents and the Chino Valley Unified school district, which passed a parental notification policy last year, are suing the state. Let’s pray they succeed, and that parents and school boards in other states are prepared to fight similar laws.
PRAY.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” (Ps. 127:3) Heavenly Father, help us to have leaders who protect the rights of parents to raise and train and guide the children You have given them.
ACT.
Elections have consequences, and we need more Christians to vote according to biblical principles. Inspire others by identifying yourself as a Christian voter with our new merch, including yard signs, bumper stickers, and T-shirts. You can check them out here.
Scripture-engaged Americans Place Higher Importance on Civic Engagement, Poll Finds
“Americans regularly engaged with Scripture place higher importance on civic engagement than their counterparts who are less engaged with the Bible, even as the religiously unaffiliated demonstrate higher levels of ‘pro-social behavior,’ a new poll finds.” read more at the Christian Post
THINK.
- These results are part of the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible 2024 report. Among several interesting findings, this one stood out the most to me: “Does Scripture Engagement affect a person’s interaction with government? Yes, greatly.” Among those who use the Bible frequently and consider its message central to their life, 66% view "maintaining awareness of civic and government issues" as either "important" or "very important.” This is contrasted with 52% of those who are “Bible Disengaged,” as well as 51% of those in the "Movable Middle" who may be open to becoming more engaged with the Bible.
- Scripture-engaged Americans are over 10 percentage points more likely to believe it is “important” or “very important” to advocate for civic and government policies, and more than 20 points more likely to believe it is important or very important to submit to government leaders. To sum it up, the report says, "On every point — awareness, advocacy, and submission — the Scripture Engaged are far more apt to tout the importance of civic responsibility.”
- Those results are encouraging, but they only measure beliefs, not actions. I am grateful that My Faith Votes can help Christians apply their beliefs to their civic engagement. As the Apostle Peter told the church, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2:16-17)
PRAY.
Pray that God will develop in His Church a heart to obey Him as Lord of every area of our lives, including politics and policy. Pray that, in everything, He would help you trust Him and seek His will instead of relying on your own understanding. (Prov. 3:5-6)
ACT.
You can impact voter turnout in November! Join the Write Now campaign and commit to sending letters to Christians in key swing states, encouraging them to vote. We give you everything you need—from what to write, to the addresses to be mailed to—you can choose how many you’d like to do. Sign up here.
Coach Kennedy's Fight for Praying on the Field
“Coach Joe Kennedy's journey of faith and conviction began with a simple yet profound act—taking a knee at the 50-yard line to thank God after every football game. This practice, which he faithfully maintained for eight years, eventually led to a significant Supreme Court case that highlighted the importance of religious freedom in America.” read more at My Faith Votes
THINK.
- It’s been two years since the Supreme Court ruled in Coach Kennedy’s favor. A movie depicting this tumultuous time in his life is opening in theaters on October 11th. Thousands of Americans will be able to witness what it looks like when one fully entrusts themselves to God and His purposes.
- Because of his boldness, the Supreme Court established precedent that reaffirms and endorses what the founders of our nation so vehemently fought for: freedom of religion and religious expression. In the majority opinion of Coach Kennedy’s case, Justice Gorsuch wrote, “That the First Amendment doubly protects religious speech is no accident. It is a natural outgrowth of the framers’ distrust of government attempts to regulate religion and suppress dissent.”
- It is easy to focus on the negatives in Coach Kennedy’s case, but it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the positives in his story. Much like Daniel, Coach Kennedy continued to faithfully pray on the football field even while his career was on the line (Daniel 6:9-11). Because of his boldness, thousands of people across America were able to witness what a life dedicated to Christ truly looks like.
PRAY.
Thank you, Lord, for the testimony that is Coach Kennedy’s life. May we all live with the same boldness for you, refusing to cower in the face of opposition. Amen.
ACT.
Coach Kennedy recently met with the CEO of My Faith Votes to share his story and the lessons he learned from the last few years. It is a powerful, motivating conversation and we encourage you to watch and share it with your friends and family. You may access it here
My Faith Votes— is a ministry that motivates, equips, and activates Christians in America to vote in every election, transforming our communities and influencing our nation with biblical truth. An estimated 25 million Christians who are registered to vote, fail to vote in presidential elections. My Faith Votes is on a mission to change this statistic by helping Christians act on their faith and vote in every election. When we pray unceasingly for our nation, think biblically about the issues, and vote consistently in every election the impact of Christians taking action from the local to the state and federal level will be unprecedented.
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